Largest gathering of global dance artists in SF Ethnic Dance Festival
SAN FRANCISCO — One of the world’s largest gatherings of dance artists returns June 5 to 29, at the 36th annual San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival (www.sfethnicdancefestival.org).
Up to 31 dance companies and over 300 dancers and musicians will highlight the rich cultural and artistic diversity of the Bay Area.
As part of this year’s events, Festival artistic directors Carlos Carvajal and CK Ladzekpo will announce plans to celebrate the Centennial of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition with two weekends of performances in February 2015 at the Palace of Fine Arts, the Festival’s home for more than 25 years and the only remaining grand structure from the 1915 Exposition.
Classical Indian sattriya dance, the first Festival performance of kathakali since 1978, a special Nelson Mandela Tribute at San Francisco City Hall, and the announcement of details about next year’s Pan-Pacific International Exposition Centennial are among the highlights of this year’s Festival.
In addition, Indian Consul General Nagesh Parthasarathi will present the Festival’s annual Malonga Casquelourd Lifetime Achievement Award to Katherine and K.P. Kunhiraman at the June 14evening performance.
“Kathakali dance is at risk of being lost forever and K.P. Kunhiraman is one of the few people alive who are sustaining this transcendent cultural tradition,” said Julie Mushet, executive director of the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, noting that this year’s Festival will mark K.P. Kunhiraman’s final U.S. appearance.
“K.P. Kunhiraman’s departure raises many questions about the future of dance and how, and even if, cultural traditions will be passed to the next generation, as they have been for millennia,” said Mushet.
Of all of the classical Indian dance forms, kathakali is the most stylized and is often compared to the kabuki tradition of Japan, especially in regards to the elaborate make-up worn by the performers.
Further details about the Centennial celebration and the 20 groups performing on the Festival stage will be released soon.
Following is an overview of the 2014 / 36th Annual San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival and list of artists.
June 5 – 8: Festival opens on June 5 at San Francisco City Hall with a tribute to late South African leader Nelson Mandela as part of the free Rotunda Dance Series. Concurrently, there will follow a series of workshops and panel dialogues throughout the Bay Area.
June 14 – 29: The Festival continues at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts with three weekends of classic Festival performances, featuring a different group of performers on the stage each weekend.
As always, audiences will experience an inspiring lineup of Bay Area artists and musicians collectively sustaining important cultural heritage from around the world, including Bali, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Congo, Hawai`i, India, Lebanon, Mexico, Okinawa, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, Tahiti, the continental United States, and West Africa.
Audiences will have the chance to see 11 world premiere performances and 16 Festival debuts, including the wildly popular Academy of Hawaiian Arts. Each weekend’s program is a different lineup and includes nine or ten dance performances in a two-hour show, with numerous cross-cultural, collaborative and transitional pieces.
Shining a spotlight on classical Indian dance, June 14 – 15: This year’s Festival includes a special weekend of performances where audiences can watch all eight classical Indian dance forms together on one stage for the first time in the United States.
